Riyadh Air Prepares For Boeing 787-9 Service Launch With Familiarization Flight & New Simulator
Riyadh Air’s
first operational Boeing 787-9 has departed on its inaugural international test flights as the airline secured an operational license for its 787-9 simulator from the local aviation authority.
International test flights
Flightradar24 data showed that Riyadh Air’s 787-9
, registered as HZ-RXX, has recently operated several international test flights across the Middle East. This includes flights from/to Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport
(AUH) on January 18, January 20, and January 27.
On January 18, the 787-9 flew from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh King Khalid International Airport
(RUH), where it had been stationed since December 16, 2024. The aircraft, previously registered as A40-SD, belongs to Oman Air.
Photo: Riyadh Air
Ch-aviation data showed that between April 20, 2017, and January 11, 2025, the aircraft was attached to Oman Air
, which previously operated the aircraft. It is owned by the aircraft leasing company Park Aerospace Holdings and managed by the aircraft lessor Avolon
.
The aircraft also operated a return flight from Riyadh to 
Istanbul Airport
(IST) on January 23, landing at the Saudi Arabian city at 00:50 local time (UTC +3) on January 24.
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Impacted by delivery delays
However, Riyadh Air, despite becoming the talk of the town over the past 12 months, has not been immune to 
Boeing’s
delivery delays. Previously, Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Boeing could only deliver four 787-9s to the carrier in 2025, half the number it had planned to receive during the year.
As a result, the carrier’s planned launch date has been moved from early 2025 to Q3. In addition, Douglas clarified to Bloomberg that the ex-Oman Air 787-9 would only be used as a technical spare and would not be upgraded with Riyadh Air’s latest interiors.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
In 2024, Boeing handed over 51 787s to its customers, 15 of which were delivered during the last quarter of the year. Throughout the year, the aircraft program was affected by a peculiar issue related to the 787’s heat exchangers and seats.
During the Q1 2024 earnings call on April 24, 2024, David Calhoun, the now-former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing, disclosed that there were two significant constraints on the 787 program.
The first one was the heat exchangers, a part that was built in Russia. Before the country invaded Ukraine and was sanctioned, including its aerospace sector, the production moved, but the supplier’s capacity has not kept up.
However, Calhoun said that the improvement plan should align the plane maker and supplier to the former’s demands by Q4 2024, with Boeing having a lot of confidence in the plan, according to the former chief executive.
“The other one that affects us is not necessarily our suppliers, but as you may know, the seat suppliers out there are in shorter capacity. A lot of that is buyer-furnished, but nevertheless, it holds up an airplane.”
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Certified 787-9 simulators
Nevertheless, on January 27, Riyadh Air announced that the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) granted an operational license to the airline’s first advanced 787-9 flight simulator.
“The simulator is a critical addition to Riyadh Air’s expanding training infrastructure, designed to enhance pilot readiness and elevate safety benchmarks.”
Photo: Riyadh Air
Peter Bellew, the chief operating officer (COO) of Riyadh Air, remarked that the milestone underscored the airline’s commitment to world-class pilot training and operational excellence. Bellew added that the simulator will enhance the carrier’s pilots’ capabilities, aligning with its ambition to redefine aviation standards and deliver an excellent flying experience.
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